Valencia Club de Fútbol are proud to announce our participation in a friendly against Columbus Crew SC, as part of the LFP World Challenge and taking place at the MAPFRE Stadium on May 27th at 7:30pm local time.

Executive President of Valencia CF, Amadeo Salvo, said that the LFP World Challenge fixture in the USA “is the perfect showcase for our brand, providing it with international exposure. We took part in the competition last season, travelling around the world, and we were able to see first-hand the growing interest in our club amongst fans from outside of Spain.”

Valencia CF Manager, Nuno Espírito Santo, also believes the friendly against Columbus Crew SC will be an excellent addition to the club’s summer schedule.

“It will be an enriching experience against a side from the United States, where football is in a phase of increasing expansion. Our aim is to give a good showing of ourselves, which corresponds with a club of our stature, against a team from the thriving MLS –a league which grows year after year and which features great players,” he said.

Columbus Crew SC Sporting Director and Head Coach, Gregg Berhalter, added: “We are looking forward to competing against one of the top teams in Spain at MAPFRE Stadium. Valencia is an exciting team with a lot of young, talented players and it’s going to be a great test for our group. I also have a personal connection to the club after visiting the club last year. I was impressed by the warmth and professionalism of the people. The respect goes so far that we brought Nico Estevez, a longtime coach from their youth and professional environments, to work with our Academy players full-time in Columbus as Crew SC’s Director of Methodology.”

The American side considers Valencia CF to be “one of the most successful clubs in Spanish football” and highlight their “high profile acquisitions” made over the past year.

Columbus Crew SC has a record of 10 wins, 5 draws and 3 defeats in international friendlies, its most recent fixture a 2-2 draw against English team Crystal Palace last summer.